Pickling apparatus



7 Oct. 29, 1935. I I s. WILLIAMS 2,019,206.

PICKLING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 12, 1954 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Y Q Q 3 l\ I VENTOR Q/QX BY ATTORNEY 1r sneets sneet 2 ENTo I'I I I S. L. WILLIAMS PICKLING APPARATUS Filed 1). 12, 1934 ATTORNEY y M/YJWMA Oct. 29, 1935.

M rhmr S. L. WILLIAMS I PICKLING APPARATUS ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 29, 1935 UNITED, STATES PATENT orrlcr.

Application February 12, 1934, Serial No. 110,852

4 Claims This invention relates broadly to metal pickling apparatus, and is an improvement upon my prior patent numbered 1,881,157, dated October 4, 1932.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a pickling mechanism which is so constructed and operated that the pickling operation is effected with a minimum of power consumption.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the character mentioned in which the simple operating mechanism is positioned directly above the pickling tanks in a position directly adjacent the tops thereof so that said mechanism extends upwardly but slightly above the level of the tanks thus lessening the chances of damage or injury to the mechanism by reason of accidental bumping, etc., as, for instance, when loading.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pickling apparatus composed of few and simple parts not readily subject to get out of working order.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will hereinafter be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, the pickling tank being shown in vertical section;

Figure 3 is a vertical section, enlarged, on line 3-3, Fig. 1, showing in detail the positioning of the roller and crank arm in connection with a reciprocating carrier frame;

Figure 4 is a vertical section, enlarged, on line 4-4, Fig. 1, depicting in detail the roller guide mechanism for the reciprocating frame; and

Figure 5 is a section on line 55, Fig. 2, illustrating coiled strips in the pickling tanks and supported by the carrier.

Referring to said drawings, I and 2 designate 45 companion pickling tanks of rectangular form disposed in spaced parallel relation, which tanks are designed to contain the pickling fluid or bath. Located outwardly from and in spaced relation to the opposite ends of each of the tanks are 60 suitable foundations 3, each of said foundations being preferably made from concrete and being of a size and shape adapted to conveniently receive in fixed relation thereupon an appropriate cast metal base plate 4, which base plate 4 is de- 55 signed to have rigidly fastened thereto, as by means of bolts, operating mechanism which will hereinafter be described.

Gear boxes 5 and 6 housing appropriate gearing are permanently bolted to the plate 4 intermediate the tanks I and 2, and connecting said 5 gear boxes is a. longitudinal drive shaft I, said shaft 1 being disposed in parallel relation to the tanks and slightly above the latter. An appropriate housing 8 encloses said drive shaft 1 sub stantially throughout its entire length and, additionally, carries a plurality of bearings 9 in which the drive shaft is journaled.

A pair of bearings III are suitably attached to the base plate 4 at each of the opposite ends of the tanks and each pair of bearings has journaled 15 thereina shaft ll. Each of the four shafts ll carries on its outer end a crank arm l3. Short shafts l4 extend transversely from each of the gear boxes 5 and 6, and at right angles to the drive shaft I, and each of the short shafts l4 carries a crank arm l5.

Each of the crank arms I! has mounted thereon for free rotation a roller or disc l6, and interposed between the crank arms I3 and I5, and jointly supported by the latter, is a freely rotat- 25 able roller l'l, similar in all respects to the rollers l6, said rollers l6 and I1 providing means by which two rectangular carrier frames are supported in overlying relation to the pickling tanks, which frames afford supports for carriers of the 30 material to be pickled.

The supporting frames, as herein shown, are composed of parallel longitudinally extending side members, each formed of two rigidly attached channel irons l8, and transverse channel 35 irons [9 connecting said side members at a spaced distance from their. ends.

A U-shaped shoe or grooved trackway 20 is located adjacent the opposite ends of each pair of parallel side members l8 of the frame and on the under side thereof, said trackway having formed integral therewith a vertically extending shank or web portion 2|, which latter is received between and bolted to the confronting faces of the companion channel irons l8, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. By means of said trackways 20 the rectangular frames are supported over the tanks, the rollers l6 and I1 being received in underlying relation to the grooves and thus supporting the frames, as is most clearly shown in Fig. 5. Otherwise expressed, the rectangular frames are made to freely rest solely upon the rollers l6 and i1.

An electric motor 22 is mounted upon the base plate 4 rearward of and in line with the gear understood from the drawings, operation of the motor 22 results, due to the provisions of intermediate gearing and shafting, in rotation of each of the four shafts II, the two shafts II at one end of the tank being rotated in a clockwise manner, while the two shafts II at the opposite end of the tanks are rotated in a counterclockwise manner. Obviously, rotation of the shafts and the thereby carried crank arms and associated rollers at the opposite ends of the tanks in reverse directions results in the frames supported on said rollers I6 and I1 being vertically reciprocated with each revolution of the crank arms. Moreover, it will be noted that the two supporting frames have alternate vertical movementsthat is, the frame of one tank travels in an upward direction while the frame of the other tank travels in a downward direction, and vice versa. Such alternate movements of the reciprocating frames tendsto provide a balanced apparatus and results in a minimum of power consumption.

Bolted to the base plate 4 at opposite ends of each tank and in the longitudinal center thereof is an upstanding guide frame 25, each guide having in its tank-confronting face a vertical extending channel, in which channel is received for vertical travel a roller 26, said roller 26 being carried by the end channel l9, one form of attachment being illustrated in detail in Fig. 4. As above stated, a roller 26 is carried by each transverse end channel l9 and said rollers are designed for vertical movement along the channel of the guide during reciprocating movements of the frame in the operation of the apparatus, this arrangement affording means for substantially non-frictional, true vertical reciprocation of the carrier frames. Furthermore, the guide mechanism described affords means for maintaining the frames rigid with respect to the operating mechanism when the loaded carrier is being placed on a frame or when being removed therefrom, as will hereinafter be explained.

Each of said reciprocating frames has located between its ends a pair of spaced parallel transverse I-beams 21 that have their opposite ends attached to the side members of the frame by means of angles 23 and rivets. A saddle-like bearing 29 is fastened to each of said transverse beams 21 at the center thereof, the saddle members being designed to serve as supports for the carriers of the material to be pickled.

Each of said carriers consists of a horizontal bar 30, the opposite ends of which rest in the depressions of the saddle member 29. The bar is provided with depending members 3| and 32, the member 3| being pivoted at 33 to the bar 33 and being of substantially U-shape. A horizontal member 34 is pivoted at 35 to the depending member 32 and has its opposite end free and formed to rest upon the closed bottom of the U-shaped member 3|. The pivoted end of the member 32 is shouldered, as shown at 36, and engages a corresponding shoulder formed in the bottom of the member 34 to rigidly hold the member in position by the weight of the coiled metal strips 31, as shown in Fig. 5. Loops or eyes 33 are provided on the bar 33 for engagement with the hooks of a lifting crane.

A fixed rectangular frame 39, having longitudinal side and transverse end members formed of channels is supported stationarily directly above each tank, the frame 33 being so supported by having the opposite ends of the longitudinal side members supported from the base plates 4. In this manner, said frames occupy a position at a spaced distance above the tgp of the tanks.

A cradle 40 is statlonarily suspended within each of the tanks I and 2, said cradle having spaced parallel longitudinal bars 4|, which latter are disposed in the arc of a circle. Clamping brackets 42 are secured to the side members of the fixed frame 33, as shown in Fig. 5, said brackets having attached thereto the upper ends of down- 10 wardly and convergently related rods 43, which rods have their lower ends secured to the cradle 40 for suspending the latter in the tank. In operation, it will be seen that, in order to loan the coils 31 on the carrier, said carrier is 15 first disconnected and removed from the apparatus. Then the free end of the horizontal member 34 is raised and the pivoted member 3| is swung outwardly, or to the left of Fig. 2, which enables the coiled strips 31 to be positioned onto 30 the member 34. In other words, the coiled strips are threaded on the member 34. After such positioning of the coils, the said member. is then engaged with the member 3|, as shown in Fig. 2. A lifting crane is then attached to the carrier 23 by means of the eyes 38 and the same is carried to a position wherein its bar 30 seats in aligned saddle members 29 of the supporting frames.

With the carriers of the companion frames loaded and positioned as above described, power 3 is applied to the operating mechanism by means of the motor 22. This power is transmitted to the shafts i I and results in rotation of said crank arms I2, l3 and IS in a manner hereinbefore described. Such rotation of the crank arms imparts vertical reciprocal movements to the carrier supporting frames by reason of the fact that said frames rest and receive their sole support through the medium of the rollers l6 and II which underlie the trackways 20. Obviously, as said rollers 40 travel upwardly, the frame will be elevated, and vice versa. As saidvrollers l6 and I! travel in their circular motion with their associated crank arms, said rollers travel horizontally backward and forward along the trackway, traveling in one 45 direction throughout one 180 of the revolution and traveling in the opposite direction throughout the remaining 180 of the complete revolution.

The vertical reciprocating action above described will be clearly understood following study of Fig. 3 of the drawings, from which figure it will be observed that the trackways 20 are made of such length to accommodate the lifting rollers throughout their full horizontal movement in either direction.

The vertical reciprocal movements imparted to the carrier supporting frames results, of course, in similar reciprocal movements being imparted to the thereby carried loads. Consequently, the coils are alternately plunged upso wardly and downwardly in the pickling fluid of the bath.

Referring particularly to Fig. 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the limit of the downstroke of the carrier is such that the bottom portion of the coils come in contact with or are impacted against the cradle 40 and the weight of said coil is thereby transferred from the carrier to the cradle, resulting in the spreading or opening up of the convolutions of the coils of the upper portion. On the upstroke of the carrier, the bar 34 carries the entire weight of the coils, closing the convolutions of the upper portion and spreading the convolutions of the lower portion by reason of their own weight. This opening and closing of the coils, illustrated in Fig. 5, enables the pickling fluid to have free and complete access to the entire surface of the coiled strips.

It will be observed that the carrier supporting frames may be removed from the apparatus merely by lifting the same with a crane inasmuch as there is complete absence of attaching means. Consequently, necessary repairs can be accomplished in a minimum of time and with a minimum of efiort.

It will be understood that, while I have herein illustrated and described my invention as being intended for the purpose of pickling coiled strips or wire, the apparatus may be readily and conveniently converted so as to accommodate steel sheets, forgings, and the like. In this event, the cradle is preferably removed from the tanks and any desired form of rack or basket substituted for the carrier herein referred to. For this reason, it will be understood that changes and modifications may be resorted to within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is- 1, In a pickling apparatus, a pickling tank, power means, means to support the power means in substantially the plane of the top of the tank, a crank shaft connected to the power means, rollers on the cranks of the shaft, a carrier, elongated friction shoes of inverted U-shape secured to and disposed at the bottom portion of the carrier and within and against which the rollers rotate and also move longitudinally of the shoes and of the carrier, and guide means at the ends of the carrier to hold same against longitudinal movement while permitting free vertical reciprocatory movement thereof, and free bodily lifting movement out of engagement with the guide means and the rollers.

2. In a pickling apparatus, a pickling tank, power means, means to support the power means in substantially the plane of the top of the tank, a crank shaft connected to the power means,

rollers on the cranks of the shaft, a carrier, elon- 5 gated tracks carried by and disposed at the bottom portion of the carrier and against which the rollers rotate and also move longitudinally thereof, and guide means to hold the carrier against longitudinal movement while permitting free 10 vertical reciprocatory movement thereof, and free bodily lifting movement out of engagement with the guide means and the rollers.

a 3. In a pickling apparatus, a pickling tank,

power means, means to support the power means, 15 a crank shaft connected to the powermeans, a carrier, elongated tracks connected to the carrier and disposed at the bottom portion thereof and against which the cranks operate and move longitudinally thereof, and guide means for the 20 carrier to hold same against longitudinal movement while permitting free reciprocatory movement thereof, the cranks and the guide means being loosely engaged with the carrier so that the latter can be freely lifted out of engagement 25 with each.

4. In a pickling apparatus, a pickling tank, power means, a carrier, means operated by the power means to vertically reciprocate the carrier, said reciprocating means having loose en- 0 gagement with the carrier whereby the latter may be freely lifted away from the reciprocating means, and guide means for holding the carrier against longitudinal movement while permitting vertical reciprocation thereof, said guide means 35 also having loose engagement with the carrier whereby upon mere lifting movement imparted to the carrier same may be disengaged from the apparatus.

s'rnrmm L. WILLIAMS. 

